Obama Meddling in Mosque Zoning Ignited Fake Controversy

I have no earthly idea why President Obama grandly weighed in on the Ground Zero mosque controversy.

A more self-disciplined, more focused President would have kept his personal view private, or, at minimum, put the whole, overheated mess into perspective while proferring a few perfunctory words about freedom of religion. Instead, President Obama grandstanded the issue by proclaiming at a White House dinner honoring the start of Ramadan:

"Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities -- particularly New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan...

"But let me be clear. As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances."

Mr. Obama is correct, of course, but that's beside the point.

The most relevant words in his statement of extremely obvious fact were "in accordance with local laws and ordinances." Bingo! This is a local zoning issue. This is not an issue of national importance, or even of state importance, but instead, is a routine issue of city governance.

Frankly, the zoning of and building permits for a mosque (or church or library or parking lot or tattoo parlor) are none of President Obama's damn business, except as just another citizen!

Mildly intriguing, I suppose, that this particular controversy caught his perpetually wandering attention... but seriously, does Mr. Obama not comprehend that presidential responsibilities mandate that he prioritize more attention burning issues actually under his purview? (Unemployment? Afghanistan? Alternative energy sources?) And less to inflammatory headlines of the day that catch his fancy?

Further, did the President genuinely not realize that him stepping into the middle of this fake-outrage ginned-up by the loony right would be akin to throwing gasoline onto a raging fire?

Or did he believe that the value of his vaunted word was precious enough to outweigh the political damage his meddling would cost? If so, he was quite incorrect. And again, I find myself fearing that narcissism clouded his political judgment.

For the record, Constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of religion dictates that mosques be accorded the same location/zoning rights as any other religious building. But local zoning ordinances necessarily also take into account community sensitivity and safety, as well as parking, traffic and the like.

In the situation now, in the words of Bloomberg columnist Margaret Carlson, of the "so-called Ground Zero mosque (which) won't be at Ground Zero, as headlines suggest, but two blocks away and a world apart, amid peep shows, betting parlors and other dives," fake-outrage has grown so heated and hatefully partisan that I agree with Howard Dean and Harry Reid: the mosque has grown too provocative... and should be constructed elsewhere.

My greater concern, though, is the President, who seems to focus his attention on whatever piques his interest at the moment, and seemingly ignores his sworn duty to do the hard, hands-on work of finding solutions for the gritty, unglamorous problems plaguing the American people.

Our nation is suffering due to President Obama's undisciplined lack of focus on relevant issues, and his frittering away of political capital on manufactured controversies such as the Ground-Zero mosque and his administration's premature firing of Shirley Sherrod.

Count me as perplexed by President Obama's lack of interest in doing his job. Lately, it's as if he's merely voting "Present," except on theoretical issues that catch his intellectual fancy.